Katelyn Arcelay
Arcelay intrigued by numbers
S
omething as simple as glancing at the clock can get Katelyn Arcelay’s mind racing through the mathematical possibilities.
“I stare at a set of numbers and think of different ways to divide, multiply, add and subtract them,” the GAR Memorial High School student said. “My favorite class would have to be math, hands down.” Arcelay said she especially loves the Advanced Placement Calculus class she’s taking this year. “It’s the first math class that I’ve ever been challenged in,” she said. “I can’t just sit back and relax. I actually have to work. That is why I love it.” Arcelay doesn’t mind work hard at all of her school work, though, and it shows in her grades. She’s maintained a near-perfect grade point average and is part of the National Honor Society. And she’s also an active part of her class, serving as class secretary, cheerleader and homecoming queen. She was
Ami Patel
Strength in numbers for Patel
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t’s hard to tell in which Best & Brightest category Crestwood High School’s Ami Patel should be. She’s won awards in science, is part of the National French Honor Society, co-captains the school tennis team, has been an active community volunteer and has taken part in student government activities. minute math or science project to a panel of judges. Patel has done that tree times, well enough to earn first and second place honors in regional competition and advance to state-level competition. Add in her honor roll grades and membership in the University of Pittsburgh Health Care Scholars Academy National Honor Society, and Patel would seem to be very well prepared for her career of choice in medicine. “I want to work in a children’s hospital in Miami, Florida…and then open up my own practice,” she said. Patel will begin her quest for that goal by attending either Drexel University, University of Scranton or Penn State University at University Park.
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le. “My favorite subject is trigonometry,” he said. “I love the challenge. When you are taking derivatives and integrating them, that’s the part most people dread, and you add physics and create a problem that takes a full page to do, that makes it juicy. That makes it a real challenge.” The ability to relish the challenge is something that carries over to other classes, and Long has earned grades worthy of the National Honor Society and earned the Kiwanis Club Student of the Month award. It’s also earned him leadership roles with the Boy Scouts as a senior patrol leader and junior assistant scoutmaster, as well the job of ecology and conservation instructor at Camp Lavigne. It’s work he enjoys, especially when he’s teaching science to Cub Scouts. “I like working with kids,” he said. “I like the smiles on their kids’ faces. I would work for free to see the smiles on the kids’ faces when they run across that bridge ready for adventure.” His experiences with the camp and as a junior scout leader have convinced Long that as he goes forward in life, he will continue his involvement with Scouting even as he pursues his career. His love of mathematics and the skills he’s developed from his years in school and Scouting have led Long to consider a career in either mechanical or nuclear engineering. He plans to attend Bloomsburg University and then Penn State to achieve a five-year advanced degree in engineering. “Right now, nuclear engineering seems to be what is screaming my name. I would be using a lot of physics, a lot of math and science and I think I would succeed and it will make my life better and give me joy,” Long said. “I see myself being a nuclear engineer, maybe at someplace like the PPL power plant and maybe being a scoutmaster for Troop 22, staying active in Scouting and given back to the community for what they gave to me,” he said.
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But when it came down to choosing, Patel asked her teachers to help her identify her greatest strength. “I was told that mathematics would be the best category for me,” Patel said, “because it is my strongest and most favorite subject.” Patel likes math well enough to spend her leisure time preparing for and participating in mathematics competitions. Throughout her high school career, she has taken part in day-long competitions sponsored by the Pennsylvania Math League, Marywood University and Wilkes University, as well as the American Math Competition. Then there was the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, where competitors present a ten
chosen to be a cheerleader in the annual UNICO football game as well. She can also claim music as a talent and has been part of GAR’s well-respected small group chorus that is often chosen to sing at school events and in the community. Arcelay also reaches out to help the community through various walk-a-thons and has been part of the walk to benefit the cancer resource center Candy’s Place for three years. It’s something she does on behalf of the grandmother she lost to cancer. “If I couldn’t help my grandma, why not help others?” she said. Arcelay will have plenty of opportunities to help others in the future as she attends the University of the Sciences at Philadelphia to pursue a career as a surgeon.
LONG
SPECIAL SECTION, SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2011
Best & Brightest 2011 - MATHEMATICS